[Rubicon]

It pains me to say this, but we (BYU) are in free fall. I still expect to beat Liberty (for now), but would not be shocked at all if we lost. I expected to beat Toledo and South Florida, too, but this is a year where we can't/shouldn't take anyone for granted.

I think we need to make a coaching change, but there is no obvious heir apparent or other obvious options. Sitake has had four years, though, and I'm not calling for his head, either. We have lost too many games to teams we should beat (and have beaten some teams we shouldn't have, to be fair, like Wisconsin and USC) under him, and the way we are losing these games makes it worse than the losses themselves.

Should be interesting!

[FlamesHighontheTide]

My wife and I will be in attendance for the game in Provo. We are looking forward to enjoying all that Provo has to offer, which seems to be alot! Should be a good game(I hope) and I am excited about watching a game in the legendary Lavell Edwards Stadium.

[Libertyfan_71]

We are going as well. Are you flying out there? we will be driving the coach there from UMASS, and we are hoping for good weather on our way out there.

[tyndal23]

It pains me to say this, but we (BYU) are in free fall. I still expect to beat Liberty (for now), but would not be shocked at all if we lost. I expected to beat Toledo and South Florida, too, but this is a year where we can't/shouldn't take anyone for granted.

I think we need to make a coaching change, but there is no obvious heir apparent or other obvious options. Sitake has had four years, though, and I'm not calling for his head, either. We have lost too many games to teams we should beat (and have beaten some teams we shouldn't have, to be fair, like Wisconsin and USC) under him, and the way we are losing these games makes it worse than the losses themselves.

Should be interesting!

Schedule was a bear - but bottom line you went in to TN and won in the loudest stadium in CFB and then beat USC - two good scalps for the record books and if you had to pick ahead of time I would bet you would have preferred wins over those 2 programs over wins over USF and Toledo.

[Rubicon]

Schedule was a bear -

Yes, the schedules are brutal, but I like them. There is a wide difference of opinion among BYU fans on this. Some would prefer to be in a G5 conference and have a shot at a title. Others (like me) prefer playing a lot of good programs around the country, even if that means you're looking at 8-4 or maybe 9-3 at best, unless you have lightning in a bottle. I also prefer being able to watch the games --- between the ESPN contract and non-ESPN games being on BYUtv, all games are accessible. Two this year (USC and Washington) were on ABC.

but bottom line you went in to TN and won in the loudest stadium in CFB and then beat USC - two good scalps for the record books and if you had to pick ahead of time I would bet you would have preferred wins over those 2 programs over wins over USF and Toledo.

Yes, if I had to pick, I would prefer to beat TN and USC in exchange for Toledo and USF. Although Utah (our arch rival whom we haven't beaten in 10 years) and Washington (now 4-7 against them, and some bad blood when we won the national championship and they were #2. Neither they nor Oklahoma would play us in a bowl game, though, and we crushed them the following season 31-3) would be a toss-up for me with TN and USC.

Hope it's not freezing cold for you when you're at the game!

[FlamesHighontheTide]

We are going as well. Are you flying out there? we will be driving the coach there from UMASS, and we are hoping for good weather on our way out there.

We are actually driving as we only live 5 to 6 hours a way in Butte, Montana. Yeah, I am curious to what the weather will be like come gameday. It is possible that there could be white stuff falling from the sky

[olldflame]

BYU is 2-4, with #14 Boise coming up, followed by a pretty good Utah State team. It's well within the realm of possibility that when we arrive in Provo they could be 2-6 with 5 straight losses and needing to win their last 4 to be bowl eligible.

[Rubicon]

BYU is 2-4, with #14 Boise coming up, followed by a pretty good Utah State team. It's well within the realm of possibility that when we arrive in Provo they could be 2-6 with 5 straight losses and needing to win their last 4 to be bowl eligible.

It is indeed possible that BYU's record could be 2-6 when they play Liberty.

[ballcoach15]

EVERYONE left on our schedule is beatable.

[olldflame]

BYU is 2-4, with #14 Boise coming up, followed by a pretty good Utah State team. It's well within the realm of possibility that when we arrive in Provo they could be 2-6 with 5 straight losses and needing to win their last 4 to be bowl eligible.

It is indeed possible that BYU's record could be 2-6 when they play Liberty.

And if it plays out that way, the BYU team could fall into 1 of 2 categories:

Discouraged and Defeated

or

Desperate and Dangerous

Desperation is a powerful motivator, and as bad as 2-6 would look, if they then beat the Flames, the next 2 games are against a so-so FCS team in Idaho State and the worst team in FBS in UMass. Win those 2 and they are facing San Diego State (currently 5-1) for a shot at a bowl, and with BYU's history and nationwide fan base, I'd be surprised if they didn't get a bid with a 6-6 record.

[rogers3]

Personally, I'd love to see BYU make a strong resurgence in the college football world. The tradition and the discipline is something that is really lacking in today's sports world and I think that is something that makes BYU a bit different from other programs. I hope LU will reach develop both, but I wonder if college age kids really care about that stuff these days. I write this as I take a break from grading crappy work from my students, so I might be a bit jaded, at this point.

[Libertyfan_71]

We are going as well. Are you flying out there? we will be driving the coach there from UMASS, and we are hoping for good weather on our way out there.

We are actually driving as we only live 5 to 6 hours a way in Butte, Montana. Yeah, I am curious to what the weather will be like come gameday. It is possible that there could be white stuff falling from the sky

We are actually concerned about driving out there. We don’t want to get caught up in a blizzard. I think we will have to take a southerly route.

[Rubicon]

And if it plays out that way, the BYU team could fall into 1 of 2 categories:

Discouraged and Defeated

or

Desperate and Dangerous

Desperation is a powerful motivator, and as bad as 2-6 would look, if they then beat the Flames, the next 2 games are against a so-so FCS team in Idaho State and the worst team in FBS in UMass. Win those 2 and they are facing San Diego State (currently 5-1) for a shot at a bowl, and with BYU's history and nationwide fan base, I'd be surprised if they didn't get a bid with a 6-6 record.

I agree that they would get a bid if they can make it to 6-6. I think Liberty would as well if they're at or above .500. ESPN arranges bowls for BYU, because they are invested in them with their individual contract.

Regardless of whether they qualify for a bowl or not, I hope the team and coaches work the rest of the season on improving their glaring problems: 1) red zone offense, 2) defense (rush and pass). Some of the problems I believe are tied to coaching and can only be remedied with a change (play calling --- we have running backs averaging 6 yards a carry, but they have few carries. Time of possession disparity. Defensive coordinator is Sitake's best friend, and he can't bring himself to fire him. We have gone from a top 20 run defense to near the bottom in the country).

We are also consistently out-coached, especially with halftime adjustments (Toledo and USF both ran it down our throats in the 2nd half after us controlling the first half). And, teams adjusted to our targeted game plan against USC, but we keep doggedly pursuing the same plan without adjusting.

[Rubicon]

Personally, I'd love to see BYU make a strong resurgence in the college football world. The tradition and the discipline is something that is really lacking in today's sports world and I think that is something that makes BYU a bit different from other programs. I hope LU will reach develop both, but I wonder if college age kids really care about that stuff these days. I write this as I take a break from grading crappy work from my students, so I might be a bit jaded, at this point.

I also root for the underdogs --- especially if they represent the opposite of the dominant liberal "woke" culture prevalent in academia and the NCAA. I think Liberty becoming a power would be awesome. Can you imagine the heads exploding?

I am concerned that, with how society is shifting, at some point, schools like BYU and Liberty will be excluded from the NCAA on grounds of discrimination (because of refusal to condone and accept immorality and especially homosexuality and gay marriage). If not outright exclusion, then a gathering snowball of schools refusing to play them. Stanford will probably be the vanguard with that.

There was an attempt in the 1970s to strip BYU of accredidation because it prohibits co-ed dorms among single students (our apartment complexes and dorms were actually segregated by gender in entire buildings, not just individual dwellings). Students could visit apartments or dorms of the opposite sex, but only in the living room/common areas. And, there was an 11:00 PM curfew. This is what was targeted by the federal government back then. Even today, non-student residents in BYU-approved housing must agree to and abide by the honor code, and when there was another governmental attempt to attack that, BYU simply said it would limit BYU-approved housing to BYU students. The government backed off. My wife was a non-student in BYU-approved housing, so I wouldn't want to voluntarily give that up without a fight . . .

[FLAMEfromBAMA]

This game definitely just got a bit more interesting for us.

[Liberty22]

BYU beat #14 ranked Boise and we gave up over 40 to 2-4 Maine. I don’t see a win here.

[tyndal23]

We gave up 17 not 44. Backups were in and the QB for Maine is 10 times better than Rutgers QB

[Touchdownmaker]

I don’t like our chances against a BYU team that beat USC, Boise State, and a bad Tennessee team, and we sweated out a victory over an FCS program team, (Maine), at home who’s only wins were against Sacred Heart and Colgate.
We are having a good season and winning when we are supposed to....but, let’s not consume too much kool-aid.
But, with that said.....stranger things have happened.

[flameshaw]

I don’t like our chances against a BYU team that beat USC, Boise State, and a bad Tennessee team, and we sweated out a victory over an FCS program team, (Maine), at home who’s only wins were against Sacred Heart and Colgate.
We are having a good season and winning when we are supposed to....but, let’s not consume too much kool-aid.
But, with that said.....stranger things have happened.

Not sure about that. It would be much bigger than beating Baylor. Would like to go to the game though.

[olldflame]

I don’t like our chances against a BYU team that beat USC, Boise State, and a bad Tennessee team, and we sweated out a victory over an FCS program team, (Maine), at home who’s only wins were against Sacred Heart and Colgate.
We are having a good season and winning when we are supposed to....but, let’s not consume too much kool-aid.
But, with that said.....stranger things have happened.

Not sure about that. It would be much bigger than beating Baylor. Would like to go to the game though.

BYU's win over Boise certainly puts things in a different light, but they are obviously inconsistant.

BTW, the backup QB who led them to victory............ Baylor Romney

[ballcoach15]

I think yesterday's bad defense was just a fluke. I not know if it was the scheme or execution.

[LUOrange]

I think yesterday's bad defense was just a fluke. I not know if it was the scheme or execution.

I want to believe that it was a break related fluke. Especially, since most teams after a break come out flat and Freeze said that the team felt flat in the locker room before the game. Hopefully, we'll finally get a complete game vs. Rutgers where both the O and the D show up.

[Cider Jim]

Here's my theory on why Maine put up so many points in the second half.

Coach Freeze has said all year that many of his current players were recruited as FCS players. Wouldn't that be our backups? If so, our starters are FBS players, but our backups are FCS players with less experience than Maine's players. And that's why LU was outscored in the second half by an FCS team.

[jinxy]

Young corners didnt play well. I dont think dabney played and bejour got ejected for targeting mid 2nd. I didnt see faulks very much either. Clark avery and megginson all lost 1 on the battles regularly. Those guys have played well all year.

Also we tried to go 3rd string d and backup qb and its just not there yet. You have to remember we are rotating about 8 dl and 4 or 5 lb. landon brown pic and mixture of backup and 3rd string defense let them back in.

Football is week to week. Rutgers is still a mess and we have an excellent shot to get a BIG10 win.

[TH Spangler]

Here's my theory on why Maine put up so many points in the second half.

Coach Freeze has said all year that many of his current players were recruited as FCS players. Wouldn't that be our backups? If so, our starters are FBS players, but our backups are FCS players with less experience than Maine's players. And that's why LU was outscored in the second half by an FCS team.

I think a freshman QB came into his own Saturday night. I'm just glad it was in the second half. Look at this kid.